KC and the Sunshine Band to Play at Musikfest

Legendary dance band is the last act announced for main stage at the 30th annual festival.

  It will be time to “Get Down Tonight” when KC and the Sunshine Band bring their infectious brand of dance music to Musikfest Aug. 8 at 7 p.m. KC and the Sunshine Band is the last of the main stage acts to be announced for the 30th annual Musikfest, which will take place on the streets of Bethlehem from Aug. 2 to 11. Tickets for the concert, which will take place at the festival’s Sands Steel Stage, are $32 and $42. They’ll go on sale at 10 a.m. Tuesday to ArtsQuest Members and 10 a.m. Friday to the public and be available at www.musikfest.org and 610-332-3378. Founded in 1973 by Harry Wayne Casey, KC and the Sunshine Band produced a string of No. 1 hits in the ’70s including “Get Down Tonight,” “That’s the Way (I Like It),” “(Shake, …

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George Thorogood to Play Musikfest's Main Stage

Old school rock n' roll takes over the Sands Steel Stage on Aug. 6 with George Thorogood & The Destroyers and Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes.

  It will be a double dose of old school rock ‘n’ roll when George Thorogood & The Destroyers, along with special guests Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes, perform at Musikfest’s Sands Steel Stage Aug. 6 at 7 p.m. Tickets for the concert are $34 and $44 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Tuesday to ArtsQuest members and May 24 at 10 a.m., to the public. They’ll be available at www.musikfest.org and 610-332-3378. ArtsQuest has now named nine of the 10 main stage acts for Musikfest. The only date that currently remains open is Thursday, Aug. 8. For four decades, George Thorogood & The Destroyers have delighted fans with their brand of roots and blues-rock. The group’s hits, such as “One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer,” “Bad To The Bone,” “Who Do You…

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Choir Contest will Choose Who Sings with Foreigner at Musikfest

One local high school choir will be chosen to sing behind classic rock band when it performs 'I Want to Know What Love Is' during Aug. 7 performance in Bethlehem.

  Multi-platinum selling, chart-topping rock group Foreigner is offering one area high school choir the opportunity to sing its smash hit “I Want to Know What Love Is” with the band when it performs at Musikfest. Choirs interested in "auditioning" for the gig can apply by taking part in the Foreigner Choir Contest presented by 99.9 The Hawk. The WODE Foreigner Choir Contest is open to high schools choirs in Bucks, Lehigh, Monroe and Northampton counties in Pennsylvania and Warren and Hunterdon counties in New Jersey.  Choirs wishing to participate in the contest must submit a three-minute video of them performing their favorite Foreigner song or any song of their choice. Videos must be emailed to singwithforeigner@gmail.com or dropped off …

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Hard Rocking Avenged Sevenfold to Close Musikfest

California heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold will be the final main stage act of the festival.

  Avenged Sevenfold will bring Musikfest 2013 to a thunderous close, as ArtsQuest announced Wednesday that the chart-topping heavy metal band will be the final festival main stage act on Aug. 11 at 7 p.m. Tickets for the show are $49 and $59 and are already on sale to ArtsQuest Members. Tickets will go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. Friday. They’ll be available at www.musikfest.org and 610-332-3378. Formed in 1999 in Huntington Beach, Calif., Avenged Sevenfold has sold more than eight million albums around the globe, topping the charts with its 2010 album Nightmare while producing hits such as “Bat Country,” “Beast and the Harlot,” “Nightmare” and “Almost Easy.” In 2006, the group was named Best New Artist at the MTV Video Music …

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Musikfest Main Stage to Get Christian Rock Lineup

ArtsQuest announces a show of Christian rock acts for its Sands Steel Stage on Sunday, Aug. 4.

  A lineup of Christian rock acts has been lined up to headline at Musikfest’s main stage on Sunday, Aug. 4, ArtsQuest announced. Skillet gets top billing in this lineup of four bands, which also includes We As Human, Decyfer Down and Thousand Foot Krutch. The show will have an unusually early start time of 5 p.m. Tickets for the show, which will take place at the Sands Steel Stage at PNC Plaza, are $29 and $39. They’ll go on sale at 10 a.m. Tuesday to ArtsQuest Members and May 3, 10 a.m., to the public, and be available at www.musikfest.org and 610-332-3378. Formed in Tennessee in 1996, Skillet has scored numerous hits on the Christian radio and rock charts including songs such as “Monster,” “Awake and Alive,” “It's Not Me It's You” and “…

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Free Musikfest Performers Roster Released

Buckwheat Zydeco, Southern Culture on the Skids and Gangstagrass to be among those who play at festival's 13 free stages, along with local and returning favorites.

  ArtsQuest has released a partial roster of musical artists who will be performing on Musikfest’s 13 free stages during the 30th annual festival, which will run from Aug. 2 to 11 in Historic Downtown Bethlehem and the SteelStacks campus. Among the nationally known acts who will be gracing the free concert stages will be North Carolina rockers Southern Culture on the Skids, hip-hop fusion sensation Gangstagrass and Louisiana musical treasure Buckwheat Zydeco, who will perform at Volksplatz on Aug. 7. ArtsQuest is also touting an appearance by Holly Williams, the daughter of Hank Williams Jr., who has received critical acclaim for her recent release, The Highway. As usual, the roster includes a mix of popular local musicians— including Bev …

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ArtsQuest to Auction Autographed Grand Piano

Musikfest piano signed by 52 stars that appeared at festival will be centerpiece of anniversary party and auction to raise money for Bethlehem arts nonprofit.

  ArtsQuest plans to auction off a grand player piano autographed by 52 artists who played at Musikfest between 1998 and 2002. The piano will be on display as the nonprofit arts organization hosts its second-annual ArtsQuest Anniversary Party at SteelStacks, on April 26 from 6 to 10 p.m., at the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks. In addition to celebrating the second anniversary of the ArtsQuest Center, the party will also be a celebration of 30 years of Musikfest in Bethlehem Anniversary party guests will be able to bid on one-of-a-kind Musikfest memorabilia and items throughout the evening including front-row tickets to Musikfest 2013 main stage shows including Ke$ha, Carly Rae Jepsen, Darius Rucker and more, as well as framed official …

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Styx, Foreigner to Rock Musikfest Aug. 7

Two of classic rock's biggest acts will play a double-billed show at Musikfest's main stage in August.

Styx, Foreigner Coming to Musikfest on Aug. 7

Two of classic rock's biggest acts to play a double-billed show at Musikfest's main stage.

  A pair of classic rock’s biggest hit-makers—Styx and Foreigner—will headline at Musikfest on Aug. 7 at 7 p.m., ArtsQuest announced on Thursday. Tickets for the show, which will take place at the festival’s Sands Steel Stage at PNC Plaza, are $44 and $54. They will go on sale to ArtsQuest members Tuesday at 10 a.m. and to the public on March 29 at 10 a.m. Tickets can be ordered online at musikfest.org or by calling 610-332-3378. Styx got its start in Chicago in the early 1970s and had its first hit single with “Lady.” During the second half of the decade, the group produced numerous hits, including “Come Sail Away,” “Renegade,” “Blue Collar Man” and “Fooling Yourself.” Its Paradise Theater album, released in 1980, became the band’s …

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Peter Frampton's Guitar Circus Coming to Musikfest

Guitar legends Peter Frampton, B.B. King and Sonny Landreth will headline Musikfest on Aug. 5. Tickets on sale Tuesday for ArtsQuest members.